It was time to get back out there. Craig and I haven’t been the best tourists in our own town lately, but this weekend, we made it to the Nezu Shrine Azalea Festival and enjoyed a sunny afternoon of food and flowers.

I look forward to the opening of the azalea bushes every year. They seem to be all over Tokyo and, just like the cherry blossoms, they all seem to magically open on the same day. Our old street was lined with azalea bushes and I would wake up one morning, look out the window and see the whole road lined in bright pink. Thankfully, these guys stick around a lot longer than the sakura.

Festivals in Japan are never short on good food and this one at the Nezu Shrine (which is known for having a hillside covered in azalea bushes) was no exception. From sweet to savory, we tried anything that looked good and weren’t disappointed.

Visitors wait their turn to say a prayer.

A beautiful koi pond completed the scene.

Who wears all black to a festival of pink? This girl. But I did go for pink lipstick, so that counts.

So much pink Himalayan sea salt. One of my favorite cooking ingredients.

While the size of Tokyo can be overwhelming, what I love about it is there are always new neighborhoods and sights to explore. Just when I think I’ve learned an area, I stumble onto a new restaurant or shop. I can safely say we’re nowhere close to being bored here.

Work took me to some new areas last week for interviews and events and back to our old neighborhood as well. My sights for the week kick off with this news-inspired display in Ginza Station beneath department stores Matsuya Ginza and Mitsukoshi. My nerdy, journo heart just had to stop and give it a second look.

Happy Monday!

Enjoyed this fish platter (minus the rando macaroni and cheese with corn) from Aloha Kitchen while visiting with a friend.

Spotted this small urban farm in Setagaya.

Weekend strolls in Ginza are something I miss since moving to a different neighborhood.

These doner kebabs were just one tasty (and messy) thing we ate at the Nezu Shrine Azalea Festival (full post coming tomorrow).

Craig had a near-miss going through the torii, a problem I’ll never have, thankfully.

Yes, that pink thing you see above is exactly what it looks like. And fair warning: that’s the tamest image I’ve got from this weekend’s Kanamara Matsuri at Kanamara Shrine in Kawasaki.

The shrine has long been a place of prayer for sex workers and those suffering from STDs and this festival is its main event. During sakura season last year, I missed Kanamara Matsuri, a Shinto celebration also known as the “Festival of the Steel Phallus.” I decided I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. The Penis Festival, as it’s commonly referred to, is a celebration of fertility that goes back to the Edo Period. The more modern intention of the festival is supposedly to encourage safe sex practices. I saw little evidence of that campaign.

Revelers who flock to Kanamara during the festival can have their picture taken straddling a large wooden phallus, buy several varieties of penis-shaped lollipops and souvenirs and enjoy watching the penis mikoshi (portable shrine) make its way through the streets surrounding the shrine. I also quite enjoyed the costumes worn by the attendees.

Please be advised, these images are probably not suitable for your computer screen at work due to some suggestive merchandise and snacks. I have to say, this was the most fun I’ve had people watching in a while.

Now, of all the western holidays I wasn’t planning to celebrate here, St. Patrick’s Day would top the list. We were still living in temporary housing this time last year and more than a bit shell shocked by the move, so we just didn’t even notice it. While I’ve never been a big partier for St. Patrick’s Day, even though I do have some Irish blood running through my veins, it’s still crazy to think it passed last year without a thought.

But this year, a friend invited us to check out the Tokyo St. Patrick’s Day parade held along Omotesando Dori last Sunday. From samurai warriors to fancy dogs and an array of unique green characters, what we saw when we got there was anything but what I expected. But the parade was lively and all the participants seemed to be having a great time.

With a coffee in hand warm from the vending machine (don’t be jealous), it was fantastic people watching.

The suggestion we wouldn’t be able to find Mexican food in Japan is just the plate of crow we keep on eating. Not only have we found delicious Mexican cuisine here in Tokyo, but this weekend we enjoyed an entire evening of treats at Fiesta Mexicana 2014 in the Odaiba district.

There was food, drinks, music, souvenirs and even lucha libre. The sky was clear and we enjoyed the incredible scenery, including the Tokyo skyline, Rainbow Bridge and . . . the Statue of Liberty. Only in Tokyo does Lady Liberty and a celebration of Mexico make sense.

Tacos, round one. They were just labeled “meat tacos” with no further details. After tasting them, I’m still not sure what creature we consumed — with chopsticks, of course.

Churros! With the chocolate on the inside.

My handsome date.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a festival in Japan without onigiri. The Spanish rice and chicken combination was appropriate.

The lucha libre ring. Sadly, we missed out on the action.

Again, nothing like enjoying some Mexican food in the shadow of a Statue of Liberty ripoff in Tokyo. Confused yet?

Perfect frozen margaritas.

Round two for food. These steak tacos were fantastic, especially with the fresh guacamole. Craig’s burrito and tortilla soup also were muy bueno.

I’m so excited to display the painting we got on our trip to Bali. If you look at it closely, you can see it’s covered in hundreds of dots of paint. We loved the colors and just had to have one. Plus, it was less than $20. There was a larger one it and it pained me to leave behind, but we had no idea how we would get it home.

We also continued Craig’s birthday celebration into the weekend, which was a blast. Here are some highlights from the past week:

Celebrating Craig’s bday with some of his coworkers over Korean barbecue (hence the oh-so-attractive bibs).

Following dinner, we moved onto karaoke, which is one of my greatest fears.

More souvenirs from Bali. A buddha made from carved wood and another statue made from bronze.

A delicious chocolate waffle from Belgian Beer Weekend in Roppongi Hills. This was my second one of the night.

Possible couch revamp with some fabric I bought in Bali. Seeing if it grows on me.

We went to another festival this week that gave us an incredible look at Japanese culture: Sanja Matsuri, or Sanja Festival. This festival has, in one version or another, been held since seventh century (now that’s tradition) to honor the three men who founded the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa: Hinokuma Hamanari, Hinokuma Takenari and Hajino Nakatomo. They’re considered Shinto gods, or kami, and are enshrined at the Asakusa Shrine.

A massive lantern hanging under the main gate, Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate, to Sensoji Temple.

The packed Nakamise, a street lined with food and merchandise vendors. Once we were in it, we didn’t even try to break away and look at anything. You could accidentally get separated from whoever you’re walking with in a matter of seconds.

Over the course of the weekend, millions of people gather to watch the mikoshi, which are elaborate portable shrines to Shinto gods, get carried to the temple and shrine for a blessing, and then through the streets to bring prosperity and good fortune to the local businesses and residents. While the crowds were very well behaved, claustrophobics should probably sit this one out.

One of the beautiful mikoshi on a side alley before it was time to parade through the streets.

The detail is just incredible.

We went with a fellow expat on Sunday, the day when the three main mikoshi dedicated to the founders are paraded through the streets. Hundreds of people from the surrounding neighborhoods are there, dressed in their own distinct matching outfits, competing for the chance to carry the shrines through the streets.

I’ve read this starts early in the morning, around 6 a.m., but the public isn’t allowed access to the Sensoji grounds until hours later, when the fierce competition has died down.

Musicians also set up down a side street playing music that was surprisingly calm for such a rowdy festival.

Men in the garb of their neighborhood preparing to carry the mikoshi through the streets. Once things get moving, they’re constantly switching out to give as many people a turn as possible, bouncing the shrine up and down and chanting. I was shocked to see women participating.

There are also mikoshi specifically for women and children.

It was the first really hot and sunny day we’ve experienced here and it felt wonderful to be out in the sunshine. The spectacle of it all was breathtaking and you could sense the passion among all the participants. I would recommend getting there right when it opens, like we did, to catch plenty of the action right near Sensoji.

The festival is held the entire third weekend in May each year, a date we plan to mark on our calendars for next year so we can enjoy more of this tradition.

One of the many great things about living in a big city is that most weekends there is a festival, or two, or three, going on. Now that the weather is nice and warm, we’re planning to check out as many as we can.

To kick things off, we spent last Saturday at a Thai festival near Yoyogi Park. The festival had all the things you could hope for: cheap drinks, tasty (and spicy!) food, live bands and entertainment, random stuff to buy and amazing people watching (especially when viewed from the ground, sitting and eating).

All in all, a successful outing, except for when I dropped some of our food on the ground. Thailand is definitely on our list of places to visit while we’re living in Asia. Until then . . .

We started with some spicy prawn soup with noodles. I made sure to add extra spice. I realized after consuming it I took this photo with the chopsticks stuck in my food — major no-no.

For dessert, we enjoyed some mojitos packed with almost as much gum syrup as rum, plus some fabulous frozen mango. Festival goers were leaving with whole cases of this stuff along with other delectable fresh fruits.

One of the many Thai beer stands. Get your mind out of the gutter — it’s pronounced Pooh-ket!

Beautiful carved soap. You could buy one of the already-carved pieces or take a carving lesson and go home with your creation. I passed — alcohol doesn’t always lend itself well to crafts.

Gorgeous! I’m also sure this was made alarmingly quickly.

There were several booths with both Thai and Japanese street foods including noodle dishes, soups, fried rice and grilled meats.

A major crowd gathered for the entertainment, a young male musician whose name we didn’t catch. Obviously, he was quite popular.